A distinguishing feature of Vladimir Putin’s presidency is unconditional support to the Global South, Dr. Anuradha Chenoy, a retired professor at the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, told Sputnik.
Vladimir Putin won his re-election bid on March 17, opening the door to the next six-year term of his presidency. What do the countries of the Global South expect from Putin’s forthcoming tenure?Under Putin, Russia has especially focused on relations with the Global South as more and more developing states plot a course towards pursuing an independent domestic and foreign policy, and adhering to their own development model.If compared with the West’s approach to the Global South, the distinguishing feature of Russia’s strategy is unconditional support and equal partnership, according to the Indian scholar.Emerging economies are demonstrating remarkable resilience and agility, with BRICS – a club of major countries – overtaking the Group of Seven, the world’s industrialized nations, in terms of its share in global gross domestic product (GDP) in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.Having won the 2024 election, Putin is likely to continue strengthening relations with the Global South, according to Chenoy. She referred to longstanding Russo-Indian relations as a model of such a relationship. »President Putin coming to power in 2000 was a critical moment in reviving India-Russia relations, » Chenoy told Sputnik. « Since then, President Putin has taken a special interest in driving these relations to new heights. Putin understands India and Indian political leadership like no other world leader does. He gives unconditional support to India and never makes value judgments. He does not intervene in India’s internal matters. He supports the transfer of technology and Indian national interests. This provides a basis for close India-Russia cooperation.
